The clock on my father’s car dashboard was always 10 minutes fast: we were dropped off at parties 10 minutes early and collected before the cake was cut (I had to try very hard not to do the same thing with my children). I think he picked up this trait during his time doing National Service and not much else apart from some very funny stories. I have no such excuse; my timekeeping is largely anxiety based.
I’ve recently bought a wristwatch — nothing too fancy, just swapping out my little bits of tanking crypto for something more analogue. I wear it in the evening if I have to go out and it’s so nice to discreetly check how soon I can leave without having to whip out my phone.
Keeping an eye on the time is a necessary evil, especially if you have been hard-wired never to be late or you like cooking. The wall clock in my kitchen gets more use than the mirror by the front door. It is a particularly lovely thing, a present from a colleague, a basic Ikea wall clock that he took apart and changed the numbers 12, 3, 6, 9 for A, D, A, M.
Featured here is a selection of my favourite timepieces. I love the sleek, mid-century style of George Nelson clocks and the charm of the Fornasetti sunburst; a full-on Georgian mahogany is essential if you have the budget and the space. Who wouldn’t like to admire such a beautiful thing while boiling their morning egg?
1. Mali Grasscloth wallpaper in Ruby, POA (blithfield.co.uk)
2. Limited Edition Kit-Cat Klock, £67 (kit-cat.co.uk)
3. W Johnson late Georgian mahogany wall timepiece, POA (walwynantiqueclocks.com)
4. Ball clock by George Nelson, £269 (conranshop.co.uk)
5. Brown Paper Stripe wallpaper, POA (hamiltonweston.com)
6. Mondaine wall clock, £179 (conranshop.co.uk)
7. Turbine wall clock, £560 (aram.co.uk)
8. Handover Manufacture Inc for Rolex metal wall clock Lot 196, £7,855-£15,715 (sothebys.com)
9. British Museum metal wall clock, £335 (synchronomeclocks.com)
10. Moooi Lucky O’s wallcovering Tokyo Blue, POA (apeironinteriors.com)
11. Fornasetti Sun-Print wall clock, £383 (farfetch.com)
12. 1980s wall clock by Junghans, £178.89 (1stdibs.com)
